CROSSROAD :: W.H. Cameron

A version of this review previously appeared in Shelf Awareness and is republished here with permission.

"For the second time in as many weeks, I cross the spine of Shatter Hill at midnight and spot fire at the crossroad below." Melisende Dulac had a difficult past before moving from the East Coast to the Oregon high desert, where she transports bodies for the funeral home run by her disappeared husband's aunt and uncle. Now her present is treacherously close to eclipsing it.

What she saw at the scene of the first crossroad fire put Mel at odds with numerous locals, including the sheriff's department. Her precarious situation is further jeopardized by what she finds at the second: multiple cars and bodies, a gun, a horse, a head, a newborn baby and a glimpse of a woman who might be the Shatter Hill Spirit. Guided by the voice of her beloved brother Fitz, who died 17 years ago, Mel fights back against forces that have put her, an outsider, in the crosshairs.

The plot of W.H. Cameron's Crossroad is a stellar foundation for all the splendid extras layered on top. The author splices in Mel's history at a pace that whets readers' appetite for more. But the true tour de force is Cameron's character work. Mel is exquisitely drawn, and Cameron insightfully cultivates a supporting cast that further defines her. Appealing in their own right, they help push past and present forward to a conclusion that is resoundingly satisfying. Crossroad is marked by dark humor, grace and seeds of connections that hopefully signal a path to more Melisende Dulac.

STREET SENSE: I love Bill Cameron's writing. His plots are always intriguing, but it's the thoughtfulness and character work that always knocks my socks off. He also puts sincere thought into his chapter titles, and I always appreciate the fun of feeling the penny drop as I read and figure it out. If you're a fan of character driven stories, try some of his work.

A FAVORITE PASSAGE: I grew up an orphan in my own home, a guest who had overstayed her welcome. There were days when all I wanted was to know if I existed--a question Cricket and Stedman would never answer. They'd forget to account for me at meals, to pick me up if I stayed after school. When they went out, I never knew when they'd return. I was nine the first time they left me an entire weekend. I ate cereal and read Katherine Paterson. 

A few short beauts in a book full of 'em:

"Desperation is forebear to many an unconsidered decision."

"You can't call yourself a mortician till you've slept in a casket."

People exhaust me. It's probably why I prefer working with the dead.

COVER NERD SAYS: Bill's books have some of my favorite covers and this one is no different. Usually dark and mysterious with a flash of danger. Fire, blood, some dangerous splash of what lies within. On this one, I love how the starry sky plays with the title font. Super well done.

PROPERTY OF THE STATE :: Bill Cameron

"If being a foster kid teaches you anything, it's how to walk away without looking back."

Some writers, no matter what or who they are writing, put such heart in and behind their words you can't fail to feel it. Bill Cameron is one of those writers. No matter if it's his gritty adult crime fiction Skin Kadash series, a short story, or his new foray into full-length Young Adult fiction, Bill can't hide his humanity, and that's a pretty cool thing.

Skin Kadash and Ruby Jane are two of the finer characters you will read about anywhere, but Bill's heart has never been more evident than in Property of the State: Book One of The Legend of Joey. Whether good guy or "bad" guy or somewhere-in-between-guy (or gal), his characters are so real and layered you can even muster some measure of empathy for the ones you want to smack upside the head or give a shot to the pills.

Joey Getchie, 16, has been in the foster system longer than he was with his parents. Since he lost them ten years ago, he's been shuffled from foster home to foster home, gaining a problematic reputation and a healthy mistrust of adults along the way.

But Joey has a capital "p" Plan - graduate early from Katz Learning Annex, file for emancipation, and get out of Dodge; away from the school establishment, the foster system, his current foster debacle, and start a new life.

He's biding his time, making ends meet by cleaning the "stately Huntzel Manor" (hired by Mrs. Huntzel, school volunteer and mother of Katz student Philip), hanging out with fellow foster and schoolmate Trisha, and trying to keep a low profile until he can implement The Plan.

But Joey has never been lucky and the water he's treading never seems to stay smooth for long. He's already in trouble at school after being blamed for acts of his current foster father when a student is badly injured, putting Joey in the crosshairs and The Plan in further peril.

Joey is a character you can't help but pull for. He's bright and a survivor. He's also a smartass and a curmudgeon (a kid after my own heart, he joins the chess club for the sole reason that it meets in one of the only quiet rooms in the school and Joey longs for quiet in the chaos). He doesn't trust anyone, and while you can't really blame him, if it doesn't break your heart to watch him deflect even those who really are on his side, it must be made of coal.

Bill writes a great mystery and there is plenty of it folded up in the nooks and crannies of Property of the State. Who hurt Joey's classmate? Why is Trisha suddenly acting out? And what, pray tell, is going on at the Huntzel house, where Mr. Huntzel is rarely seen, Philip is engaging in some 'interesting' behavior, his sister is an even rarer bird than his father, and Joey uncovers some baffling oddities during his cleaning routine (plus a bit of snooping and super top secret residency after he runs away from his foster home).

I've been hankering for more Bill Cameron since I devoured County Line on a plane in July 2011. It was worth the wait. Property of the State is smart, real, and heartbreaking. Here's hoping it's Book One of many.

STREET SENSE:  I'm not a huge label fan. Whether you actively read YA or not, this is a book for anyone who enjoys good, intelligent mysteries, humor (Bill nails Joey's voice), multi-faceted characters with depth (Bill includes character details that are so smoothly integrated they feel completely natural despite their uniqueness), some smartassery and relevant teen lingo (I even had to Google one term), a little pop culture, and all the heart you can bear. There is a portion of this book that broke me but good. Trust me, you'll know it when you read it.

A FAVORITE PASSAGE: Unfortunately, I can't include my favorite portion. It's best left to the reader to discover within the confines of the book. But there is so much goodness here I still had trouble narrowing this down. I'm going to provide you two passages that were favorites and give you a sense of Joey's voice. His head is an interesting place to be:

"Why did it have to happen?"
The question makes no sense. Trisha understands as well as anyone there is no why. Shit happens isn't just some hipster tee-shirt philosophy. Fosters know this better than anyone. Our lives are one long string of shit happening. Life's a bite and then you die. Along the way, you leave bits of flesh on every snag. What's up?  Oh, you know, bleeding out. Same as every other day.

This bit is pro-level curmudgeonry and I love it:

At Katz, lunch is a full period. I live for the hour of peace. Lose a game of chess, then relax amid the tip-tap  of pieces moving on boards and the occasional murmur. "Good move." "You really want to do that?" "Check." Even an ejaculation of chess-thusiasm was no more disruptive than wind scattering leaves. It was like living inside the Golf Channel.

C'mon. "Ejaculation of chess-thusiasm." That's gold right there.

COVER NERD SAYS:  I've always loved the covers of Bill's books. The cover for Property is smartly different than his series books, but no less effective. I love everything about it - from the image to the palette to the hoodie "A" in State. It's moody and dark, which is appropriate from an emotional standpoint. There are some tough subjects inside, despite the infusion of humor.